News spreads about dome surviving wildfire

John Belles was interviewed on NPR Morning Edition about his Monolithic Dome that survived the largest wildfire in Washington state history. It’s another in a prolific stream of news articles about the dome. We liked what John told the reporter, “You could build a square house that was nonflammable. There’s lots of advanced materials and whatnot. They still build out of stick, though.”

What’s interesting is reading how even tiny sparks can burn a whole house to the ground. From the NPR story:

“People have done a lot to protect their homes. And as you see on this thing, the thing that kicks your butt is the wind,” says Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers. “The wind was blowing so hard a lot of it, it didn’t matter. And then fire would take this home, skip 20 more and take another one.”

It’s hard to tell on first glance if the homes that burned to the ground have common features. They burned so hot, only chimneys, metal parts and foundations remain.

You cannot get prepared at the moment of crisis. Either you are ready or you are not. It’s not about being paranoid. It’s about doing the most with what you have — today — so you are ready when trouble comes tomorrow. Sometimes the best option is grabbing a 72-hour kit (you do have one, don’t you) and running. Other times it means taking a stand and riding out the emergency.

In Texas there are many storms that produce tornadoes. If it’s late and the storm is coming you stay up all night, watching the TV, wondering if it’s your turn for a big emergency. Unless you live in a Monolithic Dome.

Dome owners go to bed.

The difference between hoping for the best verses being truly prepared is the difference between a night of worry versus a good night’s sleep.

More news stories

Named for what? Yorkshire Terriers – the playful, frisky, cute pups Glenna Crockett raises in her Monolithic Dome home in Mesa, Arizona! “But that’s okay,” Glenna said. “It’s actually very fitting because my Yorkies helped me pay for my dome.” Built in 2007, that dome has a diameter of 42 feet, a height of 25 feet, a living area of 2067 square feet, and three levels topped by a cupola.

Being the coinventor of the dome and the founder of the Monolithic Dome Institute has given David B. South the opportunity to not only fine tune the building process, but to create a company whose main mission is to make available Monolithic Dome technology to all the world. It is the hope of Monolithic to educate the public about Monolithic Domes and to provide professional services to its customers by creating a successful partnership with them through all phases of their dome design, planning and construction.

What’s a fertilizer blend plant’s number-one enemy? Moisture! If water gets into or condensation forms inside a storage unit, it quite quickly begins degrading the fertilizer and forming rust. But Monolithic uses a technology that keeps that troublesome process to a minimum.

A new Monolithic Dome safe room is under construction in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s part of a broader initiative to provide community storm shelters following the devastating Tuscaloosa-Birmingham EF4 tornado in 2011. It is the fourth dome built in the Pratt City area, which was hardest hit by the monster tornado.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to build a Monolithic Dome? How about from professionals who have done it for years? Come join us for our Spring Workshop, where we teach how to build a Monolithic Dome.